ThingLink today launched its free mobile app, ThingLink Mobile, available for download via the iTunes store,ThingLink Mobile is the first iOS app to let users create interactive images with video players and text instantly embeddable into pictures taken with their camera. The free app for the iPhone and iPad creates interactive images that are shareable to Twitter and Facebook, and are designed to live within the platforms themselves.

ThingLink’s web-based app has been used by major publishers and advertisers to increase engagement with their content. The Washington Post was the first news outlet to use a pre-release version of the ThingLink Mobile app, creating interactive images of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

“ThingLink Mobile has one goal: to give more meaning to your camera images, allowing them to instantly come alive in new ways,” said CEO and founder of ThingLink, Ulla Engeström. “As a storytelling tool, ThingLink Mobile unleashes creative ways to capture deeper moments. It also brings the ability to microblog within images to anyone with a smartphone.”

Even in the beta version, users have found interesting uses for the app including: travel images with details of exotic meals, images of newlyweds with the first dance from the wedding embedded into an image, birthdays that come to life with video, and second hand sellers using videos and notes to illustrate the details of the items they’re retailing.

When users download ThingLink Mobile and sign up, they have a free channel for their images at ThingLink.com. Within ThingLink, users can add additional apps (tags) to their images with content from: SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Maps, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites. Those images are instantly shareable to Tumblr, Pinterest, Google!+, Facebook, Twitter, Edmodo and email.

ThingLink’s web-based platform has long been popular among advertisers and publishers for its ability to engage readers and encourage participation. ThingLink Mobile will bring that experience and ability to create compelling personal content to the individual user. People are invited to download the app to make their own interactive images.

If you’re a retailer, a seller on Amazon, eBay or Etsy or a record label driving sales around songs, now you can use ThingLink to transform photos into Shoppable Images that are instantly shareable in social channels and embeddable on any web page.

ThingLink is the most popular shoppable image solution. Retailers and Etsy, Amazon and eBay sellers can use our free account to add standard shopping tags and icons to any image. When you share them interactively into social channels like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, you’ll drive higher conversion rates. Post them onto web pages and folks will spend more time on page and shop through your images.

Custom Retail Solutions — And because top brands know that one size does not fit all, ThingLink offers brands an enterprise level account that lets you customize shoppable images with unique shopping apps and branded tag icons. Build and upload your own shopping apps with product previews, prices, preference, and shopping carts — and drive higher conversion. Use ThingLink to make your images uniquely yours with branded icons that speak directly to your customers.

Organizations like Little Kids Rock have introduced new ways for fundraising through images by using a special donation tag with a direct link to their donation site.

We at ThingLink are committed to supporting schools, teachers, librarians, students and non-profit institutions with robust accounts that enable creative and productive uses of interactive images.

We appreciate educators like Donna Baumbach (@AuntyTech), Susan Oxnevad (@soxnevad), Jamie Forshey (@edutech20) and many others, who constantly share new ways of using ThingLink to engage students in visual storytelling and activities that support the Common Core.

If you are working in the education and non-profit sectors, please ask for a free account upgrade. Mention your school or organization. Write to education@ThingLink.com.

ThingLink just launched a new feature called Remix. Now you can create your own version of an image you see. Here’s our CEO Ulla Engeström explaining Remix. Have a question on Remix? Write ulla (at) thinglink.com.

What is a Remix?
In music a remix is a song that has been edited to sound different from the original version — it may include additional effects and elements, or the composition of the elements has been changed.

ThingLink’s Remix feature follows the same idea with images. A rich media image is always a composition of content that conveys a unique experience. Now you can take an image you see, click the Remix button, add elements to it, and republish a new version. By doing so, you’re enabling a new conversation on the same image.

How does it work?
We added a new icon symbol on the right of the image called “Remix”. When you’re viewing a ThingLink image that has enabled remixing, you see a Remix icon on the right. Clicking the icon automatically creates a version of that image in your own account that you can edit. The existing tags will appear, but you can change them and add your own. Your tags will not show in the original image, but your remixed version appears in the comments of the original image.

How can Remix be used in music?
A band launches a new album. They post an interactive image of the album cover with music and video players. They ask fans to remix additional content on top of it. Fans can just click the Remix button for creating their own version of the album cover, tag it with their favorite content of the band, and share it to social media with the #band name. Often there’s an incentive for participation.

How can Remix be used in schools?
A teacher composes a set of questions on a ThingLink image of a garden with various plants. A student can click the Remix button, and answer the questions on her own version of the image.

How do you use Remix?
I’m a big fan of cool interiors and vintage objects, and I like learning about makers, designers, and manufacturers. With ThingLink’s I can post specific questions directly to images and viewers can Remix the image to add comments and links.

Will Remix change the original image?
No, the original image stays the same. With Remix you just create your own version of it.

How can I follow the versions that other people have created of my image?
All the remixed versions of the original image appear as comments under the original image. This way remixing images builds a conversation.
How can I enable or disable Remix for my images?
Remix feature is automatically enabled for all new users. Existing users can turn on the feature from their settings. Choose Settings → Miscellaneous, and click the box to enable/disable Remix.

If you are excited about Remix and want to build a cool campaign around it, contact us sales@thinglink.com! Now your images can tell new stories!

Whether you’re reporting sports or attending a college sports event, you can make the best moments in sports come alive with ThingLink. Here are images we love by Sports Illustrated, USA TODAY Sports, adidas, LA Times and University of Memphis Baseball.

Here is a guest post by Michael Britt, Ph.D., host of The Psych Files, a Psychology podcast. The Psych Files is aimed at anyone curious about human behavior, though students taking a course in psychology, those majoring in psychology, and instructors of psychology will find the podcast particularly of interest.

My goal was to better understand what psychologist B.F. Skinner actually said about educating children, learning to play an instrument, happiness, etc. I put together a little “audio collage” that students could put together as a class project using any well known person (for whom there is video and/or audio interviews available of course).

Here’s how I created it:

Audio bytes were found all over the web – YouTube of course and archive.org

I used an audio capture tool (Audio Hijack in my case, but many such programs exist) to grab the audio as it played in my browser

I edited the audio down to the essential quotes using an audio editing tool (the free Audacity tool would be fine)

Created a simple collage using Photoshop (any image editor would work) and arranging images I found from wikipedia and clipart.com

After uploading the collage to www.thinglink.com, I linked the audio from Soundcloud to the various spots on the collage

What’s the pedagogical goal? Well, I personally gained a deeper understanding of and appreciation for Skinner and I think students would also gain such an understanding of whoever they chose to focus on. Also, in addition to just linking from a spot on the image to an audio sound byte, note that there is a small amount of text that can be typed next to the audio player. Students could be required to tell the listener why the quote is important – what does it reveal about the psychologist’s theory? What misconception does the quote clarify? What does the quote reveal about the psychologist as a person? Also, if the creator of the thinglink enables it, other students can leave comments on the image as well, which could result in a nice discussion and of course a good learning experience for everyone.

Susan Oxnevad, Instructional Technology Facilitator and educator for 26 years said: “ThingLink is one of my favorite and most frequently used tools because it supports active student participation and requires users to construct knowledge as they create. The tool can be very useful for designing and implementing the types of deep learning experiences required by the Common Core and it is also an effective way to help students develop digital literacy skills.”

Eligibility: All students K-12 are eligible to enter. Teachers and parents may enter an image on a student’s behalf.

Submission Deadline: Images may be submitted through May 1, 2013. Enter images at ThingLinkContest.com.

Winners will be announced on May 15, 2013.

Categories: There are 10 categories:

My Favorite Books or Authors

Science — Think Like a Scientist!

Health & Well-being — You, Your Family, Your Friends

Environment — The World Around Us

Community — Volunteering & Making a Difference

Money Smarts — Earning, Saving, Spending

Art & Music — Express Yourself!

Sports — Game On!

History & Social Studies — From Yesterday to Today

Animals — Furry, Friendly, & Fierce

Students can enter in as many categories as they wish. All entries are viewable at ThingLink.com.

Voting: Friends and family can vote on their favorite images by using “touch” icon on a ThingLink image. The most “touches” counts for a portion of the score. A team of educational advisors will review entries and determine winners.

Prizes: One iPad mini will be awarded to the top winner in each category. The winning school in each category will also receive one Rosen Database subscription for a year (Teen Health and Wellness, Digital Literacy, Financial Literacy or the Power Knowledge Science Suite). Certificates will be awarded to second and third place winners in each category.